THE INSIDER AUTHORITY ON GATOR SPORTS

A few questions with OG James Wilson

Back in the spring, James Wilson was a hot topic. Would he stay or would he transfer to Wake Forest? By the end of the spring he was all Gator and now that fall practice has arrived, all he can think about is working as hard as he can to get on the field in 2008.

Gator Country caught up with Wilson to ask a few questions about the upcoming season.

GATOR COUNTRY: “How has the knee been feeling?”

JAMES WILSON: “The knee is way better than it was. I only missed one station today, and that’s way more than I could do in the spring.”

GC: “How did it feel for you to get back onto the field?”

JW: “It felt great. I’m just ready to earn a spot out here and earn my playing time.”

GC: “What position are you working at?”

JW: “I’m at the backup left guard behind Jim Tartt.”

GC: “What does the depth chart look like at the right guard position?”

JW: “Mike Pouncey is first team right now with Maurice Hurt backing him up.”

GC: “What attributes to the strength of the offensive line as a group?”

JW: “We had to wake up at 6:30 every morning this offseason to lift. We were the only position group that worked out together, and we just built a lot of chemistry this summer. If somebody was late, we all had to run. The main thing was the accountability. We’ve learned to trust each other a lot.”

GC: “How are you guys aiming to top the great offensive line from last year?”

JW: “Simply, not give up as many sacks. We wanted to be ranked as the top offensive line in the nation.”

GC: “How good can this offense be?”

JW: “We can have the best running and passing game in the nation. On the offensive line, we know it all starts with us. We don’t want to let the rest of the team down.”

GC: “What has Coach Addazio been preaching to you guys this offseason?”

JW: “Accountability is the biggest thing. On the field we’re working on finishing and trusting each other.”

Back in the spring, James Wilson was a hot topic. Would he stay or would he transfer to Wake Forest? By the end of the spring he was all Gator and now that fall practice has arrived, all he can think about is working as hard as he can to get on the field in 2008.

Gator Country caught up with Wilson to ask a few questions about the upcoming season.

GATOR COUNTRY: “How has the knee been feeling?”

JAMES WILSON: “The knee is way better than it was. I only missed one station today, and that’s way more than I could do in the spring.”

GC: “How did it feel for you to get back onto the field?”

JW: “It felt great. I’m just ready to earn a spot out here and earn my playing time.”

GC: “What position are you working at?”

JW: “I’m at the backup left guard behind Jim Tartt.”

GC: “What does the depth chart look like at the right guard position?”

JW: “Mike Pouncey is first team right now with Maurice Hurt backing him up.”

GC: “What attributes to the strength of the offensive line as a group?”

JW: “We had to wake up at 6:30 every morning this offseason to lift. We were the only position group that worked out together, and we just built a lot of chemistry this summer. If somebody was late, we all had to run. The main thing was the accountability. We’ve learned to trust each other a lot.”

GC: “How are you guys aiming to top the great offensive line from last year?”

JW: “Simply, not give up as many sacks. We wanted to be ranked as the top offensive line in the nation.”

GC: “How good can this offense be?”

JW: “We can have the best running and passing game in the nation. On the offensive line, we know it all starts with us. We don’t want to let the rest of the team down.”

GC: “What has Coach Addazio been preaching to you guys this offseason?”

JW: “Accountability is the biggest thing. On the field we’re working on finishing and trusting each other.”